The castles of France, by period

From the medieval keep to the nineteenth-century château still lived in. Each period is visited differently, and it is not the same day out.

• Medieval castles and strongholdsKeeps, curtain walls and fortresses raised between the 11th and 15th centuries. These are visited by climbing stairs, bring proper shoes.3,908 castles
• Renaissance châteauxThe 16th and 17th centuries, when the fortress became a residence: ceremonial staircases, designed gardens, façades opened onto the landscape.3,864 castles
• Classical and 19th-century châteauxThe houses of the 18th and 19th centuries, often still lived in, where the grounds are as much the visit as the rooms.3,171 castles